[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 709 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 709

Expressing the commitment of the Senate to building on the 20 years of 
success of the George McGovern-Robert Dole Food for Education and Child 
                           Nutrition Program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 14, 2022

 Mr. Moran (for himself, Mr. Leahy, Ms. Duckworth, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. 
 Brown, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Marshall, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Blunt, 
Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. King, Mr. Booker, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Boozman, and Mr. 
 Wicker) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
           Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Expressing the commitment of the Senate to building on the 20 years of 
success of the George McGovern-Robert Dole Food for Education and Child 
                           Nutrition Program.

Whereas the George McGovern-Robert Dole International Food for Education and 
        Child Nutrition Program (referred to in this preamble as the ``McGovern-
        Dole Program'') has improved the food security, nutrition, literacy, and 
        primary education of school-age children, particularly young girls, and 
        their families in over 48 countries in just 2 decades;
Whereas the McGovern-Dole Program was established by section 3107 of the Farm 
        Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 1736o-1) to procure 
        agricultural commodities and provide financial and technical assistance 
        to carry out preschool and school food for education programs in foreign 
        countries and maternal, infant, and child nutrition programs for 
        pregnant women, nursing mothers, infants, and children who are 5 years 
        of age or younger;
Whereas the McGovern-Dole Program has provided over 5,500,000,000 school meals 
        benefitting over 31,000,000 school-age children and their communities;
Whereas the McGovern-Dole Program has been successfully administered by the 
        Foreign Agricultural Service of the Department of Agriculture;
Whereas the McGovern-Dole Program is a key program of the Department of 
        Agriculture aligned with the governmentwide Global Food Security 
        Strategy;
Whereas in fiscal year 2021 alone, McGovern-Dole Program projects have directly 
        benefitted more than 4,500,000 children and community members through 
        the distribution of United States-produced commodities that provide 
        daily nutritious and high-quality meals and mitigate food insecurity;
Whereas the McGovern-Dole Program partners with farmers in the United States, 
        who provide 46,770 metric tons (``MT'') of food commodities in support 
        of fiscal year 2021 McGovern-Dole Program grants in Central America, 
        Africa, and Asia;
Whereas the McGovern-Dole Program complements United States agricultural 
        commodities with food grown and purchased locally to support farmers and 
        markets within the recipient's own communities and to build the capacity 
        of local governments and communities to continue and sustain the 
        benefits of the McGovern-Dole Program into the future;
Whereas during the COVID-19 pandemic when school closures were commonplace, the 
        McGovern-Dole Program effectively shifted from providing meals in 
        schools to providing take-home rations and distributed approximately 
        23,000 MT of commodities donated by the United States and 550 MT of 
        locally procured commodities to more than 1,700,000 McGovern-Dole 
        Program participants and their families across 26 active projects, 
        ensuring that children continued to receive daily meals and learn while 
        at home;
Whereas the McGovern-Dole Program recognizes the value of educating young girls 
        and contributes to overcoming the barriers they encounter in accessing a 
        high-quality education by promoting equality and the reduction of 
        gender-based violence;
Whereas school meals provide an incentive for families to send girls to school 
        and help girls to stay in school, effectively preventing early marriage 
        and delaying first pregnancy, which can trap young women in poverty and 
        limit their future potential;
Whereas the McGovern-Dole Program strengthens local community health and 
        education through the formation of parent-teacher associations, teacher 
        training, and improving the infrastructure of schools, classrooms, 
        commodity storerooms, latrines, and water sources; and
Whereas the United States, as a member of the Global School Meals Coalition, is 
        committed to and recognizes that investments in the McGovern-Dole 
        Program, are central to bolstering food security, building resilience to 
        future shocks, and supporting the nutritional, health, and educational 
        needs of children and adolescents worldwide: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that the United States 
is committed to--
            (1) building upon the 20 years of successful work of the 
        George McGovern-Robert Dole International Food for Education 
        and Child Nutrition Program (in this resolution referred to as 
        the ``McGovern-Dole Program'') and its positive role in 
        breaking cycles of hunger and poverty, providing opportunity 
        through education and literacy, and improving overall nutrition 
        and health;
            (2) complementing humanitarian assistance efforts and 
        development programs through the continued implementation of 
        the McGovern-Dole Program that addresses global food insecurity 
        and creates conditions for peace and stability; and
            (3) supporting United States farmers, millers, shippers, 
        and commodity groups that provide agricultural commodities for 
        use in the McGovern-Dole Program to help combat global 
        malnutrition and food insecurity and advance global education.
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